David Byrne w/ Dirty Projectors @ Bowery Ballroom

I have, after many years, finished the Here Lies Love CD project - at least this iteration of it. It will come out [February 23rd] on Nonesuch. It's a collaboration with Fatboy Slim, an upbeat series of songs sung each one by a different singer. The songs are about Imelda Marcos and Estrella Cumpas, the woman who raised her. The package includes 2 CDs (22 songs), a DVD with videos of 6 of those songs, and a 100-page book that explains it all. Singers include Florence Welch (of Florence + The Machine), Sia, Santigold, Nellie McKay, Sharon Jones, St. Vincent, Róisín Murphy and many more (even me on 1 and 1/2)... I am pretty excited about this, but who knows, it might just make people crazy.

We'll see. There will be more concrete news, with links and music, in early January.

In the meantime, I have decided to rebrand myself, inspired by Philip Morris changing their name to Altria, Blackwater to Xe, and the train I'm riding on right now that calls itself Acela - none of which mean anything, but they are cleverly evocative. When I decide on the magic word, you'll be the first to know.

-David Byrne

What should David Bryne's new name be? The full tracklist for the new record, which also features vocal turns by Steve Earle and Allison Moorer (who both just played NYC on Friday), Cyndi Lauper, Tori Amos and Martha Wainwright, is below.

Here Lies Love premiered in March 2006 Australia, and Byrne brought the song cycle to Carnegie Hall as part of the venue's Perspectives Series in February 2007. As a stage show, the songs fit into a four act narrative, laid out in detail on Byrne's website. Those at either performance got a first look at the then-in-progress work...

Here Lies Love takes the form of a series of fairly traditional pop songs (verse-chorus-verse) played in a variety of styles (disco, rock, funk, latin, ballad) by Byrne and a small group of colleagues. Augmenting the core of guitar, bass and drums, is a percussionist and a keyboard player. The vocals are shared by Dana Diaz-Tutaan (Imelda), Ganda Suthivarakom (Estrella), and Byrne, who represents the 'voice' of other key players in Imelda's life. The stage itself is unadorned, although behind the band a small screen plays news clips and home movies of Imelda's life.

As already mentioned, the songs themselves are simple pop tunes, leaning heavily on the disco and dance genres, and could fit neatly onto any number of Byrne's solo albums. They are tuneful enough, and skillfully played, but I wonder about the connection of the music to Imelda's life. Would it have been possible to blend some traditional Filipino sounds and flavours into the music of Here Lies Love (although, admittedly, Imelda was a fan of Western dance music)? [Tidy Boy]

David Byrne will appear at a free, unticketed (first come, first served) event at the Bell House on Monday, January 11th. He presents "a short video/audio lecture called 'Creation in Reverse,' speaking to the ways that venue and context shape artistic creation, followed by a Q&A."

More Here Lies Love info and a video on the performance are below...

Continue reading "David Byrne rebranding, releasing an album w/ Fatboy Slim & lots of guests, giving a free lecture in Brooklyn "

Photos by Tim Griffin

"I had a really incredible time watching Roisin Murphy make her U.S. debut in NYC [Friday] night. She played about 3/4's of Overpowered and a couple songs I wasn't familiar with (possibly from her earlier work). There were costume/coat changes after each song." [Cheztune]

"I didn't know how big Mansion was going to be (very big) and how many people were going to be crammed in there (probably 700?). You could not move it was so packed. There were people on the balconies, the stairs, most of them way more dressed up than I was. And most of them were super-fans. Who knew?" [Bill Pearis]

"Roisin Murphy went beyond people's wildest expectations for her first U.S. show and delivered a solid performance that will have people talking for a while. More importantly, with some many music execs and press people in the room, she has left a lasting impression that has opened the door for more American attention." [Arjan Writes]

More pictures and the setlist below...

Continue reading "Roisin Murphy @ Mansion (CMJ), NYC - pics & setlist"

by Showtrotta

DOWNLOAD: The Whip - Trash (South Central remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit - The Very Best Mixtape (ZIP)
DOWNLOAD: The Whip - Divebomb (FFS remix) (MP3)

Shout Out Out Out

It's CMJ time again. In a city where there are almost always some good acts passing through it's hard to understand what exactly the big deal is about the CMJ Music Marathon. Then you realize there will be "over 1,000 artists, in more than 65 venues in 5 days" and you have yet to even look at the schedule! Get crackin', run around, and get down! While last year's marathon (which featured Simian Mobile Disco, the Black Ghosts, MSTRKRFT, and Justice to name a few) will be hard to top in terms of dance music, this year's is by no means shabby.

What looks good to me on the official schedule is here (though note that the Little Boots Annex show is actually on Thursday). Explanations & more info is below. Also, be sure to read the official CMJ schedule carefully, as typically late night dj events will often be listed under the following day (ie: a Tuesday night dj set starting at 1am will actually be listed on CMJ's schedule under Wednesday)....

Continue reading "the CMJ week in Dance w/ Showtrotta "

The Saint At Large presents
Roisin Murphy in concert
Friday October 24, 2008, Doors 8:30pm
@ Mansion (530 West 28th Street, NYC)

Tickets: Labor Day Special: $30 through September 5th, Advance Tickets $40, $50 at Door
(sales tax & shipping handling not included)

The show is also part of CMJ. Tickets are on sale now (thx jed). RM videos below...

Continue reading "Roisin Murphy's 1st US show @ Mansion in NYC - tix on sale"

Roisin Murphy

"CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival, New York's largest music event and one of the world's most important showcases of new music artists, has announced its 2nd round of confirmed music performers." The entire list is below...

Continue reading "CMJ 2008 Music Marathon announces more artists"